Interest Groups

A part of the “darker side” of Washington is considered by the American public as interest groups. Even James Madison described them in the federalist papers he wrote in 1787 as “factions” that could be dangerous. The modern day hasn’t changed much. People today largely agree with Madison in how they view interest groups. What interest groups do, how they are supported, and what their stances are an interesting mix of controversy, clash, and representation.

American Association of Retired Persons:AARP is a large organization and spent $9,900,000 lobbying in 2012. The AARP only donates to individuals, not parties. They choose to do this technique because it is the most effective technique and their large size

Citizen groups simply composed of concerned individuals work to influence policies and impose governmental change for the betterment of society and their fellow citizens. These groups aim to influence change for the good of the individual and of all, and, in a free-association fashion, they are not solely focused on the interests of a business or organization like many interest groups. Interest groups may be supported by any number of businesses or organizations driven toward the success of their respective industry or business. Citizen groups, on the other hand, band together to fight for a common goal that, ideally, will have a beneficial and lasting impact on all citizens.

Interest groups have a lot of influence over decision that the government makes and has made. These groups, when formed right, are highly organized and have a definite agenda they are trying to push that is important to them. Interest groups will lobby in congress as well as other levels of government to get new laws and regulations passed.

Interest groups are structured groups which try to influence government to adopt certain policies or measures. The responsibilities of an interest group can be never-ending. One of the main responsibilities of an interest group is giving the underrepresented a chance to speak out on issues they are passionate about. The Rainbow/Push Coalition is an interest group I believed I would be passionate about.

Public interest lobbies form a linkage element between citizens and governmental elites. In lobbying they articulate what they perceive to be the issue positions of certain sectors of society. Public interest groups also play an important role in facilitating the political participation of their members and related attentive publics. By helping to bring new issues to the table, interest groups influence the shape of political agendas.

According to Bardes, Shelly, and Schmidt (2010), an interest group is “an organized group of individuals sharing common objectives who actively attempt to influence policymakers” (p. 225). In America, our government is guided by interest groups who uses different techniques to try to persuade politicians to advocate for their beliefs. The National Organization for Women (NOW) is one example of the many interest group in America that is lobbying for their ideology. NOW is a beneficial interest group because it fights for women inequality and also supports Amendment I in the Constitution.

An interest group also known as a special interest group or a lobby is an organized group of individuals, organizations, or businesses who share a goal. The interest group forms an alliance in support of their cause to influence public policy and government officials in the group 's favor. The goal of the group could be focused on small group, such as the Japan Eraser Manufacturer 's Association; or the goal could be focused on a large public group, such as family and friends of public school-aged children in the United States. Clive S. Thomas states, "The most important lobbying forces in any society are the various entities of government: national, regional, and local government agencies and institutions such as the military" (Thomas).

Democracy is the system of government where an entire population is represented through elected representatives. But there is a significant aspect in the US government that also acts as elected representatives which are in the form of interest groups. Interest groups are essentially a collection of people of organizations that tries to influence public policies. Just like the media and political parties, interest groups are one of the linkage institutions, linking the people to the government. The main role of interest groups in accordance to the government, is to mobilize the people. Ideally, an interest groups’ main goal is to ensure that a wide range of people and opinions are expressed in the democratic process. The significance of the

An interest group also known as a special interest group or a lobby is an organized group of individuals, organizations, or businesses who share a goal. The interest group forms an alliance in support of their cause to influence public policy and government officials in the group 's favor. The goal of the group could be focused on small group, such as the Japan Eraser Manufacturer 's Association; or the goal could be focused on a large public group, such as family and friends of public school-aged children in the United States. "The most important lobbying forces in any society are the various entities of government: national, regional, and local government agencies and institutions such as the military" (Thomas).???????????

But interest groups do not have a real place in congress. For them to affect motions in congress they need to utilise their powers of persuasion to influence the right people.

An interest group is an organized group of people that come together to attempt to influence policymakers in any level of government. They influence the different levels of government by giving money to a political candidate. They write letters, emails, and make phone calls to the policymakers. They attempt to get the policymakers to make legislation reflecting the objectives of the group (This Nation, 2008).

interest groups are activity involved in the legislature process (on the national level) seeking to

Limits cannot be placed on the amount of money companies and groups spend on lobbying in Texas because this money is not coming from the government or from taxes. This money comes from companies and groups who voluntarily chose to fund lobbyist agendas or pay for lobbying on their behalf. It is very difficult to control how much a group can “donate” to a cause or how much they spend lobbying without angering lobbyists or the companies who pay the lobbyists. If individuals choose to set aside millions of dollars to fund lobbyists, that is their own prerogative. Lobbyists are often seeking “face time” with legislators, which makes “the spending worthwhile from the lobbyists’ standpoint” (Ramsey). The

A group can become a political interest group. A political interest group can make demands or influence the demands of society on an institution of government